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I'm interested to see if other garages match our local Skoda dealer Meaden's of Sway. To declare an interest, we've had four cars from them, and continue. But last Wednesday I had a bump in my six month old IV L&K, in our village. A young lad in a red Polo ran into the back of me while stationery. Lot of dust and dirt, but beneath it some scratches through to the bumper plastic. Not worth an insurance claim though. But the driver looked very scared, I figured he's already learned the lesson and I was friendly and calm, we chatted, and I let him go. This was witnessed from across the road by one of Meaden's garage owners. He dropped me an email that afternoon, and said if I popped the car in, they'd sort out the damage free of charge. Which is what happened yesterday (I donated a large tub of chocolates). But how nice, friendly and efficient - do others have Skoda garages which are as valued?

Another mod completed, sort of 😂 Electric 230 interior is officially installed. Got some things to sort like the rear backrest tabs are showing up but the seats are locked and I’ve decided to keep the red stitching and match the wheel, gear knob and handbrake stitching later. Otherwise I am just going to hit the rear seats with a hairdryer to get the last few storage marks out but otherwise I’m super happy. I’d show you the comfort access but that’s not going to work until Tuesday as the FL BCM has stropped one time too many and is now dead so I’ve put the old one back in, will have the CP done then and after that the comfort access will work but everything else works including the seat memory and the mirror memory as I have memory mirrors too. Very very happy 😃

Colin, your title had me really worried . 'Dead' is sooo terminal! Four-and-a-half years does seem a bit shorter than is often mentioned here - is this new-fangled stop'n'start thing involved? Though I do note that you switch it off. Your mention of the stalwart Ford 100E is a co-incidence. I've just 'shopped' a 1964 photo of our 100E van, which I can remember de-coking over a weekend with the help of a mate who'd done the job on his. Now that's a job you never hear about nowadays !

My 2015 Excellence came with VBF but no sideboards. So I made some removable ones myself. Seems these were not available with the VBF option.

I had the same issue last year and it turned out to be the solenoid trigger wire.. I was all set to get the solenoid off a Passat (friend had one for breaking). For a while I could get the car to crank by putting the clutch down and ramming it into reverse .... This was the sign of a bad connection but I ignored that until it wouldnt work !!! I took out the battery and battery box and the trigger wire just broke away from the connector - I just soldered in an extra 2" of wire and looped it to take up the vibration .. Put a sleeve with plenty of water repellant grease and then put a new crimp on... Very proud and no bother since ! Rule this in or out first - its no harm anyway as its a well known issue !

This beauty arrived at my door at 8am this morning. Strangest new car collection ever!

Bilsteins have bump stops integral to the struts so no need to worry about the fronts.

FWD 1.2 or 1.6TDI CR's (under 150ps) will have a DQ200 7 speed DSG (Twin Dry Clutch) that does not have Service Schedules / Guidelines for Oil changes. It has 2 oils, box and MCU. The 6 speed Wet Clutch DSG's used in the AWD's or Yeti's over 110 ps in a Yeti ( 150ps) (192ps) in other models, need Oil changes. They have just the one oil.

So after buying a VRS Challenge with the 19" Xtreme alloys it became apparent my 18" winter tyres wont fit so I was left in a predicament... do I buy new winter tyres at around £180 per corner, or do I buy a set of 18" alloys to fit my existing winter tyres to. I went with a new set of alloys... as I can sell these for more when I sell the car... so in keeping with the green and black theme I ordered some black Geminis from Skoda direct and I hadn't seen them before so thought I'd post some pics for anyone considering them. They are no where near as nice as the Xtremes, but for a winter set they're perfect.

That could be a problem, my humble shed only makes 361 Nm & a swift departure on said wet, greasy roads usually provokes axle-tramp. The solution is to get the car moving before flooring the gas pedal......... Of course, the Golf's don't suffer from these problems, they just scoot + they are great fun to drive, but they are a tad noisy for us. After two weeks in Germany last year in the R wagon we got used to the drone, but it then it's always been quieter than my hatch. I could swap the hatch for a late Superb 272, but the only one that I'd fancy is in the New Forest, not a fun journey from here.

Not in that form perhaps but carbon build up is an issue in direct injection engines, petrol as well as diesel. Blasting the inlet ports with crushed walnut shells is the current favourite method unless you go to a full disassembly. Anyone remember Formula Shell...? I was running a FIAT Uno 70S at the time and decided to do the decoke myself at some point in around 1989. The inlet valves were so thickly encrusted in carbon that they'd become some kind of misshapen tulip valve alikes. While I had the head off, I decided that I'd replace the inlet valve oil seals at the same time and while I had the head off.....I'll give it a quick glaze bust and re-ring the pistons. Actually, at that point it had 60k miles on it and you could still see the original honing marks on the bores. While I had the pistons out.....I decided that I'd drop the sump and replace the big end shells as well. Happy daze.....

Never mind the 3 speed gearbox,what about the vacuum wipers.?

The battery in a stop start car has to be programmed after being replaced, so not a simple swap. They are special and expensive as well, and can only be charged with a compatible smart charger. If they are allowed to go completely flat they may never take a full charge again. My new Karoq was built in Feb and put on the road in August. It failed to start twice in first week with a flat battery. The battery had to be replaced. Apparently this has happened to many new cars where the battery has gone flat in storage during the lockdown. It must have also affected many cars little used or laud up for some time. I took my Yeti off the road for 3 months but kept the battery healthy with a smart charger.

In my country recently someone made a 2.0tdi 150 HP chip tuning and the end result was 204hp;)

@shyVRS245 What do you mean by 'loaded diesel'? Is your new vessel equiped with new TDI200 or did you chose the TDI150 to really slow you down ? However, I understand your decision... an Asian proverb says: the wise man is the one who knows his limits ...

we had a mis carriage before each of our 2's creations, so yeah, pregnancy was incredibly stressy the first time around. second wasnt as bad, but 2 csections, and all the hassle my wife has been through since the second one without a feckin pandemic has been really difficult. its nice to hear from some people who have made the decision too helps reinforce the belief its the right thing.

Photoshoot from today.

Well, no hot cat (..our wee Tilly or the car's!) burning problems. I decided to go for ground zero and fit 4x new plugs and 4x new coilpacks. This time I bought BBT packs as ECP have a big discount on offer, saving me 55gbp. Previously, I bought a HAAS coilpack, but its thicker than the originals and looks very ungainly, whereas the BBT units look more like the original coilpacks. To anyone reading this, I would just spend the extra fiver and get the BBT units.. The result is the car now runs lovely and smooth.. The mpg figure on the computer are showing 75mpg (and 62mpg average) which is a lot better than it was before if the numbers are real. Since I bought the car, it would hesitate a little in D when cold so I would run it in 3 until it heated up. Now, that has gone too. Smooth all the time. Filled up with BP fuel and hopefully an end to problems (for now anyway). Just want to thank Wino and Tech1e for the advice. It was much appreciated. Hope this thread will help someone else with similar problems.. Happy now!

With that prompt from Fireman I've ordered a new, upgraded expansion tank which I will fit when it arrives. Will also change coolant if possible (G13)

Just want to say thanks again to all that helped especially langers2k am pleased to report replacement sensor fitted and all good ESP light is now behaving, so it's MOT time very shortly. Thanks

Sainsbury's paid £1.099 per litre George. Thanks enjoying it more than I expected. If anyone is wondering whether to spend £470 extra on the virtual dash on a new car deffo go for it well worth it IMHO.

It did alright overtaking a van from 30-60mph exiting a roundabout so no traction control light despite the 360nm of torque which is 10nm more than your 280 Nick.

@shyVRS245 Enjoy the car. Who was doing diesel for under 111 pence a litre. Tesco Momentum 99 is only 5 pence a litre more than Tesco Unleaded 99.

Let us know how surprised you are when quickly ( well as quickly as you can ) accelerating away from a wet, greasy, slippery island

So I went in today and they have taken a look. As the car was only booked for an MOT they didn't have a massive amount of time to investigate. They have promised me a fluids & filters service FOC, which is fair enough - after 7k miles it's unlikely it'll need plugs etc. However, when they were looking they said they were unable to set it to more than 12k miles. I wasn't trying to tell them their job, but I was stressing that sounds like a fixed interval and I want it setting to variable. They have said they will need the car longer to find why they seem unable to set the interval to anything but 12k. Got it booked in a couple of weeks.

Dropped the 272 off at the dealer this morning and only driven 17 miles in the 150PS diesel SEL Superb replacement and loving everything about it so far even the sedate acceleration. Noticed it changes up much later than the petrol car for example at 39mph it was still in 5th gear whereas the petrol would be in 6th at just 33mph. Also it didn't change upto 7th on the motorway until I was doing 63mpg whereas the petrol car would change upto 7th at just 43mph. Once I get used to the different change up patterns of the DSG I like the fact that at an indicated 70mph it is doing just 1,600rpm in 7th. Also not much diesel clatter even at idle and even quieter on the motorway due to less engine and tyre noise thanks to the 235/45R18 Continental tyres. More comfortable around our town also thanks to softer dampers/springs and greater suspension travel. Forgot how much I missed the reversing camera from my Vrs245 and the position and brightness of the blind spot lights not on the glass anymore is a massive improvement to road safety because you can see them light up in the corner of your eye without having to turn your head and actually look in the driver's mirror. Other things that surprised me is how much I like the virtual dash and quickly scrolled through the driving data to find it doesn't need any Adblue for 8,500 miles which is when the car will have done 15,000 miles. Another surprise is how cheap diesel is compared to Tesco Momentum 99 octane petrol so filled up with 145 miles left and put in just over 55 litres at a cost of £60.92 which took the indicated range to 850 miles which is a good start. Even driving the 4 miles across Leicester to the fuel garage I managed to average 54mpg and 57mpg including a motorway section on the total relatively short 17 mile journey.

I carry a tyre pump, pressure gauge, 1l of oil, a portable John, a spare item of clothing, pack of biscuits, hand wipes et Al. Very handy.

If the BCM does support remote locking or if it is changed then the wire will need to be added or the remote range will be very short It shows up as R47 BCM pin outs T52/C pin 41 for HF T52/C pin 40 for shielding

I’ve noticed that it depends on what you have selected on the display screen between the dials. If you just have the MPH in numerals for example you just get the ‘eco mode’ indication. If you have selected constant fuel usage you actually get the words ‘2 cylinder mode’ on the display. But here’s something I’m probably too thick to understand. I can be cruising along at 40 in a 40 limit in 4th gear and I get the ‘2 cylinder mode’ display.great fuel efficiency- excellent! But... the wee indicator at the top left is telling me to change from 4th to 5th and I can understand that because surely the highest possible gear is best for the car and fuel efficiency? But.... as soon as I change out of 4 th gear to 5th the ‘2 cylinder mode’ goes off, not just for a second but for quite a long while , maybe miles ‘till I’m settled in sixth. So it’s more efficient in 4th than 6 th at a constant speed cruise. Am I being stupid or is this odd?

Try taking the key out your pocket when home and place it in a Faraday pouch. Should stop random boot opening and also protect your car from someone using relay theft to steal your car.

Yeah Rainworth in Sheffield ( previous Bickertons ) have always been fantastic for me been using them since 2002. I'm still friends with some of the staff years after they have left !

those are ambition wheels here as well. - Bret

The pump is at the washer bottle. Not sure on the exact route of the washer pipe but on my '18 plate vRS hatch, I noticed there is a also a connection on the left side of the boot before it goes up to the boot lid. If that's popped off, it's plausible the fluid could run down into the boot area

I didn't think the BCM needed an antenna wire? I thought it was part of the PCB or at least it has been on the ones I've taken apart and the spare I have here.

No way. I'm calling insurance to have someone tow it to the dealership. They *should* come and pick it, but I'm out of warranty,

You would also need to add antenna wire to the bcm Another thing to consider if you change the bcm are the rear doors Some BCMs control the rear door locking and some use the LIN from the front doors for locking

Pre-FL cars would have a separate CECM and CCM but all the FL cars should have a BCM which combines the functions of both in a single module. Address 46 is a 'virtual module' so although it appears, there is no coding/adaption - everything needs to be done via 09. @SashaGrace - I have a old/spare remote fob I can send you to check if your current BCM just need recoding

Another simple fix is to never use a Skoda dealership for servicing, and switch to a specialist VAG or tuning garage. (I understand that there are massive dependencies on this, including whether or not you need to maintain guarantees / warranty / PCP clauses, as well as higher costs potentially etc). However, independent garages have a reputation to uphold and more often than not deliver vastly superior service, with better knowledge. Rather than typically lower quality, high quantity work that most dealerships provide. If you can't trust them to fix a simple issue after multiple requests, how can you trust them when it comes to the bigger stuff? And if you care about quality work to the vehicle, it's a no-brainer to move to a VAG specialist. Either way, all should have checklists of some sort to ensure that requests for resetting servicing intervals etc are completed to stop the inevitable pinging on every start-up!

Maybe the handles are lubed a bit which is a good thing IMO. I spray Silicone Spray under door handles and Filler Flaps and on Door Hatch Seals in preparation for Winter days and nights to inhibit freezing. Then if there are streaks i clean them and have the paintwork polished and waxed so that cleaning is easy and the paint has protection.

The Eco symbol illuminates on the dash when ACT in operation.

DB72 I agree with you that is why I have turned it off again. Hill hold still works.

And we are off....making things look pretty and hopefully non leaky.

You've turned on Autohold. Press and hold the bottom row left button on the centre console until it stops being illuminated to disable it. The one with the A to the left of the P

Still yet to be assessed, but I'm refusing to let the beast die... quick spruce up because I'm confident he'll get through it

https://protrackwheels.com/en

Finally added the hardware to complete the 9VD Audi/SEAT Sound System retrofit. This isn’t a config Skoda ever offered and I’m very sure this is unique in an Octy so far. With some VCP magic it’s possible to load the 5 channel EQ and activate sub and centre speaker pins on the Columbus radios so I did it and with the extra speakers added I’m really happy! It’s no custom build and it’s not quite as powerful as the CANTON system (though I also have the cheeky ‘Sound by CANTON’ splash screen 😬 but I’m really happy. YouTube will compress the hell out of this but hopefully you can hear the centre speaker and sub working. That needs time to bed in a bit but I’m happy it’s added some low end for now. I need to adjust the grill a bit as it’s not gone back in quite perfectly but that’s a job for later. For now I’m happy the stereo system finally has some decent punch and all for under £130.